Only One Way Down
by Tricia5
Summary: *Warning*-references to rape, BDSM, disturbing content. Sage/Ryo. When Ryo is raped by the Warlords, he discovers a shameful side of himself. Sage is there to show him he's okay. This is hard yaoi, *not* shounen-ai.


Title: Only One Way Down   
Author: Tricia  
Website: JuxtaposeFantasy.com  
Pairing: Sage/Ryo  
Rating: let's face it, if you're reading 'R', you're probably used to reading 'NC-17'. Well, that's what this fic is, so NO KIDDIES or the easily offended.  
Warnings: references of rape, BDSM, graphic sex, disturbing thoughts  
Archive: I doubt you'd want this, but if you do, just let me know: tricia_vegas@yahoo.com  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
One Way Down  
  
  
*This is a truly awful fic. It's just wrong. I'm so embarrassed. I've used the worst possible excuse for these guys to have sex and I won't be surprised if someone gets offended. My apologies. I'm a terrible writer.  
  
  
Ryo came home to find flowers on his bed.  
  
Flowers.  
  
Ryo picked up the small pink and white arrangement. Their sweet fragrance filled his bedroom. He pulled out the small card that had been attached to the arrangement and scanned it with bright blue eyes.  
  
*Just because. -- Sai*  
  
Just because. Just because, what? Just because you've been royally screwed by the bad guys? Just because a week ago you discovered all the ways in which a man could be used by another man, and a few ways that had been invented just for your sake?  
  
*Just because we love you and we're sorry we couldn't protect you.* That's what Sai meant and Ryo knew it. But it was hard not to be bitter. It was hard to pretend that he was the same person who could be moved by pretty flowers and a note wishing him well.  
  
He was tempted to dump the flowers into his wastebasket. But Sai might see it, and he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings. So Ryo set the arrangement on his desk, in the corner so he wouldn't see it from his bed.  
  
Poor Sai. He'd wasted good money. Wasted it on Ryo.  
  
*"Wildfire is a wild whore, isn't he?"*  
  
Ryo moaned, dropping onto his bed. He'd tried to get himself drunk tonight, had thought it would be easy since he rarely imbibed. Wasn't he supposed to have passed out by now? But he was awake, and the effects of the alcohol weren't making him forget like he'd hoped. Just the opposite.  
  
*"Open up, little Ryo. Ah . . . that's it, use your tongue. Oh, yes, deeper. Deeper, little whore."  
  
"Look how he still tries to fight us! Still trying to be a Warrior, even with Warlords fucking him at both ends."*  
  
A slender but strong hand drifted down to his jeans, lightly touching his inner thigh through the denim. It took a lot to make him bruise, but the marks were still there. Hands, teeth -- brands that Ryo feared would never leave him, marking him forever as a plaything of the Warlords.  
  
*"You like this, Ryo. We'll make you beg for it."*  
  
"No," Ryo whispered. But even as he protested the memories, his hand moved to his groin, kneading the betraying hardness. To his shame, the sensation wasn't enough. He squeezed harder, wincing in pain even as he bucked up into the touch.  
  
*"You're a dirty little whore, Wildfire. If you hate it so much, why are you hard?"*  
  
Shaking hands tore open his jeans and shoved them down his thighs. He didn't need to look to find the bruises, they were imprinted on his mind as surely as they marked his flesh. He dug his fingers into the marks, gasping at the pain. His free hand found his straining erection and fisted it desperately. He bit back a groan as his climax gathered like a building tidal wave in his body. He dug his fingernails into the tender, bruised flesh of his thighs. The pain brought tears to his eyes, and he orgasmed with a cry. Hot liquid shot across his stomach, as hot as the moisture that seeped from his eyes.  
  
*"Wildfire was an excellent choice. . ."*  
  
"Why didn't I fight them harder?" he whispered into the silence of his room.  
  
*"Admit you like this, Ryo of the Wildfire. Admit it."*  
  
I admit . . . nothing.  
  
***************************  
  
The next morning, he went downstairs and found the other Ronins playing video games. Well, Kento and Sai were playing, Rowan was jeering at them and Sage was merely sitting there watching with a bored expression on his face. Normalcy. It's what Ryo craved.  
  
"Hey, Ryo," Sai said when he noticed the dark-haired Warrior standing beside the sofa. "Wanna play?"  
  
"No, thanks. I'll just watch."  
  
He dropped down onto the cushions behind the two players on the floor. "Thanks, Sai," he said quietly.  
  
Sai turned and gave an understanding smile. "I hope you liked them."  
  
Ryo nodded. "Thank you."  
  
He felt someone staring at him and raised his eyes to meet Sage's. Halo. Ryo had always found the blonde Ronin to be more than a little intimidating. It was Sage's implacable coolness and unwavering control that Ryo, impetuous and emotional, could never understand.   
  
Ever since the guys had found Ryo discarded on the battlefield after his "session" with the Warlords, Sage had become even more unnerving, if that was possible. The lavender eyes watched Ryo almost constantly now, coolly considering. Unlike his teammates, Sage had offered little in the way of support or condolences. Ryo knew the other guys thought Sage inconsiderate, but secretly, Ryo was grateful for the lack of sympathy. He didn't want to be coddled, reminded with every pitying glance of what had been done to him. He wanted things back to normal so he could forget.  
  
But even though Sage didn't baby him, his increased attention wasn't normal, either. *Maybe he doubts my ability to lead the team*, Ryo worried. *Maybe he thinks I can't handle it anymore.* He would have to speak with Sage and reassure the other Ronin that Wildfire was perfectly fine, thank you very much. Nothing had changed. Nothing.  
  
He looked away from the watchful lavender gaze and forced himself to concentrate on the video game. After a few minutes, a weight settled onto the cushion beside him.  
  
Rowan smiled at him. "Hey, Ryo. What's up?"  
  
Ryo grinned back. "Not much, Rowan. What's got you so happy?"  
  
The blue-haired Ronin shrugged. "Sage and I were out driving the other day, just taking a scenic drive, you know? We found this really great stretch of road up in the hills. All curvy with hardly any traffic. First thing I thought of was your motorcycle. That'd be a great stretch of road to let loose on."  
  
Ryo could imagine it: the wind roaring past him, his cycle hugging curve after curve, his attention held by the asphalt and nothing else. "Where is it? Could you show me?"  
  
Rowan threw an arm around Ryo's shoulder, and then almost withdrew it when he realized what he'd done. Ryo forced himself to keep his smile. "It's alright," he said, keeping his voice light. "You can touch me. I won't break, you know."  
  
Rowan's uncertain smile steadied. "Yeah, Ryo, I know." He squeezed the dark-haired leader. "C'mon. I'll show you that --"  
  
The explosion outside was like a crack of thunder. Video game forgotten, the five Warriors rushed outside to the front porch. It had been a calm sunny day, but now the sky overhead was a swirling mass of grey and black clouds and a wind had come screaming out of nowhere. The reason for the sudden disturbance was waiting in the yard beyond the tree line.  
  
*"Come out and play, Ronin Warriors."*  
  
Ryo didn't recognize the towering figure who taunted them, but it didn't matter who it was. If it had come to fight them, it was clearly on the side of the Warlords. A strange thread of excitement and yearning wrapped itself around Ryo's spine.  
  
"Come on guys," he said to his friends. "Let's get this guy."  
  
*******************************  
  
Ryo had made a mistake. He had underestimated their black-armored foe, made a half-second's hesitation, and now Sai, Rowan and Kento lay groaning on the ground behind him. Sage was on his knees on the grass beside Ryo, struggling to regain his feet. He failed.  
  
"Ryo --"  
  
"I need the Armor of the Inferno," Ryo said quietly, staring into the glowing red eyes of their foe. "We can't beat this guy without it."  
  
He expected an instant agreement from Sage, but when Halo said nothing, Ryo looked down at him. Despite the pain he was clearly in, Sage's lavender eyes studied Ryo thoughtfully. The intense regard left Ryo uneasy.   
  
The other Ronin finally nodded. "Do it, Ryo."  
  
Relief and an odd excitement flooded Ryo as he began to call forth the White Armor. He felt the energy gathering from his teammates like lightning building in a storm cloud. Then the combined energy of their armors struck him full force, pain streaming through his limbs. He threw his head back and screamed, and it was wonderful.  
  
**************************  
  
The woods were destroyed, the trees crisped and smoking. A large scorch mark in the dirt was all that remained of their foe. The rest of the Ronins had staggered back to the house, weary and worn from giving their energy to the White Armor. Ryo stared at the black mark upon the soil with his blood still humming from the powers he had unleashed. Ryo had never taken drugs in his life, but he thought that this was what it must feel like to be high.  
  
"The Inferno is unbeatable, isn't it?"  
  
Ryo spun. He had thought the others had all returned to the house, but Sage stood there, watching him.  
  
"It's so powerful, I wish I could use it all the time," Ryo replied. "Too bad it drains your armors' energies."  
  
"It hurts to use it though, doesn't it?" Sage asked casually.  
  
Ryo shrugged, not looking at the other boy. "This is a fight. It's supposed to hurt. Doesn't it hurt when the White Armor pulls from Halo?"  
  
"No, it's only tiring. It's not actually painful, Ryo."  
  
"So what?" Ryo said impatiently, turning away from Sage and walking towards to the house. "We beat him. No one was injured. You should be happy."  
  
Sage didn't fall into step with him. "Why did you hesitate to strike him, Ryo?"  
  
Ryo stopped, his hands suddenly clammy. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You could have brought him down, but you hesitated. It gave him an opening to take down the others. It put us in a position where we had no choice but to use the White Armor."  
  
"I didn't hesitate," Ryo said shakily.   
  
He heard Sage come up behind him and he was afraid to turn around, afraid to see what was in Halo's eyes. "You wanted to use the Inferno all along, didn't you Ryo?" Sage's voice dropped into an intimate murmur against Ryo's ear. "Why do you think that is?"  
  
Ryo jerked away from him and broke into a run. He expected Sage to follow him, but when he reached the porch of the house, he was alone. He paused with the door open, risking a glance back. Sage was walking towards him calmly. He had a knowing look on his face. Ryo was afraid of what it could mean.  
  
*****************************  
  
It was easier to avoid Sage than he'd expected. Ryo had never really paid much attention to his teammate's activities, but now that he was trying not to see Sage, he realized that the other Ronin was rarely home. Sage seemed to have a date for every night of the week. Ryo wasn't particularly surprised. Being the heir to the Date clan meant that Sage was rich. He had plenty of money to splurge on romantic dinners and extravagant dates. Ryo hadn't really ever thought of Sage that way, but he supposed the other boy was something of a catch.  
  
A week had passed since their battle with the Warlords' groupie. Ryo had not exchanged a word with Sage and found himself unconsciously on the lookout for the other Warrior. Now it was nearing midnight and Sage, as was becoming typical, Ryo realized, had not yet returned from his latest date.  
  
He heard the downstairs door open and shut. Oddly, the knowledge that Sage was home allowed Ryo to relax beneath the sheets of his bed. His limbs stiffened, though, when he heard another voice besides Sage's. A woman's. Ryo's eyes grew large in the darkness of his room. Sage never brought his dates home before.  
  
He listened with morbid fascination as the twin footsteps climbed the stairs and passed by his bedroom door. He heard the sound of female giggling and almost bit through his lip. Of course Sage had the room next to Ryo's. Of course.  
  
Ryo shut his eyes tightly, not realizing how much he strained to hear through the walls. After a long moment of silence from the other room, he began to relax.  
  
But then it started, and Ryo had no illusions that the moans he heard were those of anything but pleasure. Ryo groaned, rolling onto his side and bringing his knees up to his chest. He didn't want to listen, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Every breathy moan, every squeak of Sage's bed sent a pulse of need straight to his cock.  
  
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He curled his fingers about his swollen shaft and began to stroke himself hard and fast. He listened to the sounds coming from the other room and tried to time his strokes to match the rhythm of the bedsprings. He began to pant. His body ached. But it wasn't enough. Ryo whimpered in frustration and stroked his chest with one hand, teasing his erect nipples. But the light touch didn't satisfying him and he finally pinched one of the buds as hard as he could. He gasped into the darkness, his hips driving forward. He squeezed his other nipple just as hard, catching the tiny point between the edges of his fingernail to mimic the bite of teeth.  
  
*"Look at you, little Ronin. How could anyone want to touch something as perverted as you?"*  
  
Ryo moaned, nails dragging across his chest. His cock pulsed painfully.  
  
*"Ah, Dais. He's so dirty. No one will want him now."*  
  
Ryo's head thrashed on the pillow. He was so close . . . He hesitated, then brought his free hand up to his face and covered his mouth with his palm. He pressed down against his lips, bringing back memories of hands muffling his screams as his body was used, taken over and over again. With a cry no one heard, he shuddered and convulsed with the force of his release.  
  
He dropped his hand from his mouth and curled into a ball. He could hear a woman's soft voice, murmuring endearments from the room beside him. Disgusted with himself, he silently wept.  
  
**************************  
  
When Ryo came downstairs the next morning, Kento was watching cartoons. For a moment, Ryo stood at the doorway to the living room, content to drink in the innocence of his friend. He knew that his big friend worshipped Ryo. Whatever decision Ryo made for the Warriors, Kento was the first to back him up. What would Kento think if he knew the truth about his leader? Ryo was afraid of the answer.  
  
He settled onto the sofa with the big man and exchanged wordless greeting with him. With a smile, Ryo relaxed into the cushions and let himself be lulled by the cartoon.  
  
The others came down one by one until only Sage had not shown. Ryo didn't know if Halo's guest was still upstairs with him and he didn't want to wait around to find out.  
  
"Hey, Rowan, you up for showing me that road you were telling me about?"  
  
Rowan grinned like a kid. "Sure thing, Ryo. Let's go."  
  
A half an hour of riding beneath the warm afternoon sun left Ryo feeling cleansed. He just needed to get out of the house, that's all, he told himself. Nothing was wrong. Just cabin fever.   
  
After a few more minutes of following his friend's directions, they finally found the road. It was just as Rowan had described it -- long and curvy with very little traffic so that Ryo could really let the throttle go.   
  
Ryo grinned happily as they rode his motorcycle up and down the hills. *Everything is normal, everything is normal.* He repeated the words like a mantra, convinced that he would come to believe it. After a while, they switched places, Ryo finding unexpected pleasure in allowing Rowan to take control of the bike. He hugged his friend's waist and closed his eyes, the sun beating pleasantly against his back.   
  
After another two hours of searching out more roads to carve and switching places yet again, Rowan laid his chin on Ryo's shoulder from behind. As had happened from time to time, Ryo momentarily stiffened. This was only Rowan, he told himself when the unease started to churn in his stomach. He had always felt the most at ease with Rowan. Of course he loved the other guys, but they were different. Gentle Sai could be a bit too mothering. Kento worshipped their leader to the point that Ryo sometimes felt uncomfortable. Sage was, well, Sage -- aloof and capable of making Ryo feel like a child. It was only Rowan with whom Ryo felt completely comfortable. Rowan was just Rowan, demanding nothing and offering nothing. Just . . . there.  
  
It was that acknowledgement of Strata's place in his life that prompted Ryo to do something that required all of his strength and courage. At the top of their latest find, a two-lane hill with curves that stretched for miles, Ryo turned on the motorcycle and regarded his friend with a shaky smile.  
  
"I want you to help me get beyond this," Ryo said, knowing Rowan would guess something of what he was referring to. "I need your help."  
  
"Of course I'll help you," Rowan responded instantly. "What do you need me to do?"  
  
He had never uttered more difficult words. "Be with me tonight, Rowan. Show me . . ." he swallowed, fighting down nausea. "Show me that I'm alright."  
  
*Show me that I'm normal,* he wanted to add, but he didn't. Gravely, the blue-haired Warrior touched Ryo's cheek. "You know I'll help you, Ryo. I could tell something's been bothering you. You're my friend. I'll do whatever you want me to."  
  
The sun was setting by the time they reached the house. Sage was standing on the porch, smoking. Ryo didn't want to look at him, worried that the other boy somehow knew what Ryo had done last night. But Ryo did look, only to find Sage's lavender eyes unreadable. It didn't make Ryo feel any easier as he and Rowan let themselves into the house.  
  
*********************************  
  
It was nearing eleven and Sage was down to his last cigarette when he heard Rowan's door hit the wall. The sound of running footsteps down the stairs was followed by Rowan's hushed, urgent: "Ryo, wait!"  
  
Sage stepped a little deeper into the shadow of the porch, and took a healthy drag, waiting. The front door flew open moments later, emitting a very disheveled, sobbing Wildfire. Sage frowned as he watched his dark-haired teammate stumble down the front steps. His guess had been correct, but he wasn't pleased at finding himself right.  
  
"Ryo."  
  
His quiet voice cut through the Ronin leader's sobs like a knife. Ryo spun on a startled gasp. Sage felt something in him spasm at the naked vulnerability on Ryo's tear-streaked face. Ryo had always been the one among them to feel too much, to take too much of what happened to them all onto his shoulders. Now that the worst had been done and it had been done to ihim/i, Ryo looked on the verge of breaking.  
  
But strange how, even in his suffering -- or perhaps because of it -- Ryo still stirred Sage like no one else could. All of that fire and passion kept Sage on a constant hunt for nightly companionship, trying to satisfy his desire for the other Ronin with countless one-night stands. Ryo would probably have a heart attack if he ever learned of Sage's interest in him, so Halo had been careful to keep it to himself.   
  
But lately, lately he had begun to wonder. Sage kept a careful eye on his teammates, on Ryo in particular. And lately, well, Sage had been seeing signs of something that surprised and pleased him. Ryo was struggling with something and Sage thought he knew what it was. But to come out and say it . . . that was something else entirely.  
  
Tonight, when he had watched Ryo and Rowan return from their ride, he had known that something was different. On Ryo's face had been a determination that had signaled one thing: he wanted to get over whatever was bothering him.  
  
Sage's eyes narrowed. How unfortunate that he had chosen Rowan to help him do it.  
  
"What happened, Ryo?" he asked, carefully modulating his voice as though he were speaking to an abused, spooked horse. "Did Rowan hurt you?"  
  
"No!" Ryo exclaimed, quickly dashing his tears away with the back of his hand. "Of course he didn't. He was perfect, he was --"  
  
He stopped, as if realizing what he had almost admitted. And to whom.  
  
"But it wasn't what you wanted, was it?" Sage said, taking another drag.  
  
Ryo hung his head in frustration. His hands came up to tug on his dark hair. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he choked out so quietly Sage had to strain to hear him. "He did everything right."  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"Everything I asked him to," Ryo answered in a pained voice, apparently forgetting again whom he was telling this to. "He was careful and slow, trying not to scare me, but I just couldn't, I couldn't --"  
  
He spun away with a strangled cry. "What's wrong with me?" he cried out, staring up at the dark sky. "What did they do to me that I can't -- I can't --"  
  
Sage stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes never leaving Ryo as he swiftly descended from the porch. Ryo was so lost in his anguish that he didn't notice that Sage had come up behind him until he laid a hand upon the dark-haired Ronin's shoulder. Ryo gasped, trying to fling off the touch, but Sage grabbed him and spun Ryo around. Blue eyes widened as Sage crushed their bodies together and he slammed his lips over Ryo's.  
  
Ryo's smaller body struggled within his grip, but for all his slender build, Sage was strong. He held Ryo firm with an arm behind his back and one hand buried in all of that thick, dark hair. He kissed Ryo in a way that would have garnered cries of outrage from their friends. He kissed Ryo hard, bruising his lips and drawing blood. He ignored the other boy's struggles of protest and pushed his tongue between Ryo's lips, demanding entrance. When Ryo refused, Sage dropped his hand from Ryo's back and boldly cupped the other boy's tight, rounded buttocks. A startled exclamation was all the opening Sage needed.  
  
He pushed his way into Ryo's heat and it was just as he'd hoped. Ryo consumed him, Ryo enflamed him. Ryo burned so hot Sage knew that he would not be able to rest now until he had quenched that untamable fire.   
  
He thrust in and out of Ryo's mouth without thought of gentleness or seduction. Rowan had already tried that and obviously failed. Sage knew what Ryo needed. He knew what Wildfire needed even if Ryo was too afraid to realize it himself.   
  
Sage ground their hips together with his grip on Ryo's buttocks. Ryo still fought him, but his struggles were less coherent and were verging on pure reflex. No one had ever manhandled him before recently. He still wasn't sure how to react.  
  
Recognizing the fading resistance, Sage tore his mouth free and began biting at the dark skin of Ryo's throat.  
  
"What are you -- what are you doing?" Ryo moaned, pulling at Sage's hair with a steadily weakening grip. "Sage --"  
  
"I'm branding you," Sage told him in between nips to the salty skin. He buried his teeth, smiling with satisfaction as Ryo gasped and bucked against him. His tongue came out to lap the copper drops his teeth had drawn. "From now on, you're mine, Ryo of the Wildfire. No one else will touch you but me, do you understand? Not Rowan, not the Warlords -- no one. You're mine."  
  
Mention of his attackers made Ryo stiffen. Sage distracted him by cupping Ryo's burgeoning erection through his jeans. Sage looked down at Ryo's flushed face, reading the shock and lust. "Rowan couldn't give you this, could he?" Sage murmured, kneading the stiff flesh he held. Ryo whimpered and only shook his head, eyes wide. Sage rubbed the other boy harder, breathing into his ear, "I know what you need, Ryo. You don't want to be treated like a victim. You don't want it gentle. You want to feel until it hurts."  
  
"No," Ryo whispered weakly.  
  
Sage bit an earlobe, making the other gasp. "Easy, little Wildfire. Just leave it to me. I'll give you what you want. What you need."  
  
Still holding Ryo by the hair, Sage began to stroke him through his jeans. Hands came up to grab Sage's shoulders as if to push him away. But once they came in contact with his shirt, Ryo's hands curled into the fabric, holding on as Sage rubbed him harder. Ryo's lips parted, his tongue flicking out to moisten them as he began to pant. He made a soft, helpless sound and a pink flush broke out across his cheeks. Sage smiled, squeezing harder, faster until he had Ryo writhing against him.  
  
Sage was achingly hard as he watched Ryo succumb to his passion. Once undone, Ryo couldn't control himself. True to his armor's name, he blazed uncontrollably, twisting within Sage's grasp as his orgasm neared. Sage tightened his hold in Ryo's hair and yanked his head back, arching his neck at a painful angle. Sage ran his tongue over the curve of that vulnerable flesh and squeezed Ryo one last time.  
  
Ryo moaned, his body arching into Sage's touch, head still pulled back. Sage watched him hungrily, enthralled by the response. He eased his grip on the dark hair and pressed Ryo's face to his shoulder.  
  
"You're mine, Wildfire." He caressed the shuddering body. "From now on, no one will touch you but me."   
  
He shifted his arms and in a flash, Ryo shoved him hard. Sage staggered back as Ryo flew from his grasp and back up the steps of the porch. The front door slammed for the second time that night. Sage didn't bother following, simply stared after his friend. A pleased smile curved his lips.  
  
*****************************  
  
Ryo didn't want to go to breakfast. Two very good reasons were sitting there eating eggs and toast when he walked into the kitchen. He reluctantly took his seat at the table, not even hungry. Rowan threw him a concerned, guilty look. They hadn't spoken since Ryo had run from Rowan's room last night. Sage sat across from Rowan and maybe was looking at Ryo, too. Ryo wasn't about to check and see.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Rowan asked softly, pitching his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "I was real worried about you when you ran out like that, Ryo. I didn't mean" -- he frowned, clearly distressed -- "you know I'd never hurt you."  
  
Ryo covered the blue-haired boy's hand with his own where it rested on the table. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't you. It --" He broke it off, unable to finish the thought. *It wasn't you, it was me. It's not your fault that sex turns me off now.*  
  
"Good morning, Ryo."  
  
To Ryo's immense frustration and confusion, however, here existed the proof that those thoughts weren't completely accurate. Ryo didn't want to, but he raised his eyes to meet Sage's. The blonde was regarding him with amusement on his finely carved face. In his expression was something resembling a taunt: *It's not sex that turns you off, is it, Wildfire? It's sex with Rowan you're not interested in.*  
  
"'Morning, Sage," he mumbled. He purposefully stabbed into his eggs, imaging the tines burying themselves into Halo's back. He took a sip of orange juice and immediately winced as the acidic liquid stung the torn skin of his lips. He couldn't help throwing an accusing glare at Sage, which was returned placidly, if amusedly.  
  
"Ryo." It was Rowan again, gently asking for his attention with a squeeze to the hand. "I think we should get together tonight and just talk. Maybe if we work out some things beforehand --"  
  
"Ryo, you're still coming to dinner with me tonight, aren't you?"  
  
Ryo stared at Sage in shock, the other Ronins turning to look at their leader in equal surprise.  
  
"Did you forget that you promised me a date?" Sage lied smoothly. "I've already made reservations."  
  
"I-I don't think I'll be able to go after all," Ryo finally managed, feeling his face grow hot as the others watched him. "I'll have to take a rain check."  
  
"Aw, come on," Sai prodded, looking excited. "That's a great idea to go out with Sage. You need to get out of the house and have some fun, Ryo. You have to go. I'll lock you out of the house, otherwise."  
  
Ryo stared down at his rapidly cooling eggs, his hands fisted on his thighs beneath the table. Damn Sage. The last thing Ryo wanted was to be alone with the other boy after what had occurred between them last night. He'd been up all night, trying to figure out what had happened.  
  
He still didn't know. But he did know he didn't want to go out on a date with Sage, that's for sure.  
  
"Maybe you should go," Rowan said unexpectedly. He looked hopeful, probably thinking by encouraging Ryo in this he could help Ryo get over his fears. "Sage is buying, so how bad can it be?"  
  
"That's right, Ryo," Sage purred, dabbing at his mouth with his napkin. His lavender eyes caught and held Ryo immobile. "Tonight is for you. Anything and everything you want. Doesn't that sound like fun?"  
  
No. It sounded like a trap. But with the rest of his friends looking at him with hope on their faces, Ryo didn't know how he could get out of it.  
  
******************************  
  
"Maybe you should wear something a little less, I don't know, conservative," Sai suggested. He was standing in the doorway to Ryo's room, watching the other Ronin brush out his hair.  
  
Ryo's eyes flicked once to the familiar red sweater he'd pulled on. The only concession he'd made to this being a 'date' was that he'd decided to wear black slacks instead of jeans.  
  
"I'm comfortable in this," he muttered back. "Besides, this isn't really a date. It's just Sage."  
  
"Yeah, but Sage --" Sai bit his lip, seeming to debate the wisdom of continuing. "I just think you should relax some. It wouldn't hurt you to let loose, Ryo. We worry for you."  
  
"Don't," Ryo told him, turning to face the younger boy. "I don't want any of you to worry about me. I'm fine. It's none of your guys' fault that this happened, so I don't want any of you feeling responsible that I'm not -- exactly the way I was before." Ryo stuffed his wallet in his back pocket. "You know me, Sai. I bounce back quickly. I'll be fine in no time."  
  
Sai smiled almost sadly. "Yeah, I know you, Ryo. Nothing bothers you for long."  
  
Keep telling me that, Ryo thought, grinning back. Maybe I'll begin to believe it.  
  
Sage was waiting for him downstairs and he looked -- mouthwatering. Wait a minute. Sage? Mouthwatering? Ryo wanted to rub at his eyes to remove the warping lens that must be covering them. He'd never thought of Sage *that* way before, but it was difficult not to now. The slender blonde was dressed in silvery-grey slacks with a light blue silk shirt opened at the throat. Halo looked casual and sexy and much, much better looking than Ryo had expected him to.  
  
Sage's cursory glance took in Ryo's thoughtless attire but his face didn't reveal his thoughts. "Ready, Ryo? Our reservation is in a half an hour."  
  
"Uh, sure." Ryo reached for the front door only to have his way blocked by Sage, who opened it for him. Blushing furiously, Ryo quickly escaped through the door.  
  
He hoped Sage wouldn't do the same with the car door, but to his dismay, the blonde Ronin insisted. Sitting in the passenger seat of Sage's car, feeling more and more the fool, Ryo began thinking of all the ways he could surreptitiously slip away during the night.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" he blurted when Sage climbed into the car.  
  
Cool lavender eyes regarded him calmly. "Because I'm interested in you, Ryo."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
Sage crossed the space between them and grabbed Ryo's wrist. Ignoring the other boy's resistance, Sage brought it to his mouth and gently kissed it. "Because you're beginning to glimpse what I've suspected all along."  
  
Ryo stared at Sage kissing the sensitive skin of his wrist. He bit his lip when Sage delicately licked him. "What have you suspected?" he asked faintly.  
  
"That you and I need each other," Sage murmured against his skin. Every exhalation of his breath against the now-moistened skin sent shivers down Ryo's arm. "I need someone to care for, to be strong for. And you, little Wildfire, need someone who isn't afraid to give you what you need. Someone who will keep you safe and who will push your boundaries. You don't need to be afraid any longer, Ryo."  
  
*Push your boundaries*. Ryo clenched his free hand at the words, surprised and worried by how appealing that sounded.  
  
"I'm not afraid," he whispered. "And you don't know what I need."  
  
Sage raised his head, regarding the dark-haired boy steadily. "We are all afraid, Ryo. But in this, I can be your strength. If you want to surrender, you can do it with me. If you don't want to be responsible, let me take on that burden."  
  
"You think . . . you think I'm screwed up in the head after what happened," Ryo accused. "You think they've warped my ideas about what I want."  
  
In the shadow of the car, Sage looked older than his years. Ryo shivered beneath the knowing gaze. "I think that sometimes, when you find pleasure in pain, even if it is against your will, you can't help wanting it again. Sometimes," his voice became lower, "that's all you *can* enjoy, even though you try your hardest to be 'normal'."  
  
It made Ryo think of Rowan and the gentleness that hadn't been able to arouse him. Was that his fate? To not only be psychologically scarred, but sexually, too? Blind anger surged in Ryo and he started to pull away.  
  
Sage grabbed his shoulders, his hold unbreakable. "If it makes you feel any better, I've suspected this about you even before you were attacked," the blonde Ronin told him. "It's why you like to use the White Armor."  
  
Ryo shook him off angrily. "What are you saying? That I'm a little kink? Well, someone shoulda told me because *I* had no idea."  
  
Sage smiled faintly. "There's nothing wrong with wanting it a little rough, Ryo. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be at someone else's mercy. Not when that person promises to keep you safe." Lavender eyes smoldered. "And I will keep you safe, Ryo. You can trust me with what you want."  
  
He knew all the buttons to push.   
  
"I don't want this," Ryo tried again.  
  
Sage leaned forward. "Yes, you do, little Wildfire. You just need me to prove it to you."  
  
A gap was closing and Ryo knew he shouldn't allow it. But for some reason he couldn't remember if he should be leaning forward or away. Then Sage's lips were on his and it didn't matter.   
  
Sage didn't kiss him softly. His mouth took over, lips and tongue demanding what they wanted. In a weird sort of way, Ryo was glad. It didn't allow room for him to protest, to fight. The blonde would get what he wanted in the end. All Ryo could do was submit. Ryo knew he must really be messed up because in a twisted way, he wanted it this way.  
  
He moaned when Sage's hand grazed his throat. He could feel the slender fingers drifting down his sweater, their intent obvious. He caught Sage's hand, unprepared for this in the car, in the driveway, for crying out loud. But a small, growing thrill shot through him when Sage impatiently shook him off and continued down. Ryo was hard when Sage cupped him through the soft fabric of his slacks. He groaned into Sage's mouth, more turned-on than he ever would have thought. He was aroused in a way that Rowan -- trying to gently give instead of take -- hadn't been able to make him.  
  
Sage broke off the kiss, resting his forehead against Ryo's as he continued to stroke the hardness he held. Their panting breaths mingled together as Sage brought Ryo closer and closer to the brink. Ryo clutched at Sage's forearm, desperate in his rising passion.  
  
"What do you want, Ryo?"  
  
He almost didn't hear the whispered question, so lost was he in the sensual haze Sage had wrapped around him.  
  
"What do you want?" Sage asked him again. "Do you want something more?" He squeezed his hand.  
  
Ryo gasped, trembling against the other boy. "Nnnh. . . Sage!"  
  
Sage's teeth caught Ryo's bottom lip and bit down. The sharp pain made Ryo buck into Sage's hand.   
  
"Do you want to come, Ryo?"  
  
Ryo nodded, closing his eyes in embarrassment. He opened them again when he felt Sage undoing his slacks. Ryo's blue eyes rolled back as cool hands slipped into his opened slacks and found his erection.  
  
"Oh, God," he moaned as Sage began to stroke him with one hand and fondle his sac with the other. "Sage . . . don't stop."  
  
Sage moved across the seats so that he was almost lying over Ryo. He licked at Ryo's bared throat as he began to stroke Ryo faster.  
  
"What do you want?" Sage purred again. The hand that had been gently rolling Ryo's sac moved lower, fingers questing. Ryo arched off the seat when a slender finger circled his puckered entrance.  
  
"Sage, no --"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
That same damned question. Well, Ryo knew he didn't want *that*.  
  
"Don't, Sage," he said, the protest sounding pitifully weak when he could barely summon the breath for it. Despite his words, his legs fell open, inviting Sage to explore him further. Ryo threw his head back against the seat when Sage slowly inserted the tip of his finger. "Sage!"  
  
"Tell me what you want!" Sage ordered and there was no gentleness in his voice, only a demand for an answer. "I told you I'll keep you safe, Ryo. It's time that you gave in to your desires and stopped fighting them."  
  
Sage thrust his finger in hard, making Ryo cry out. He moaned at the faint burn, sinfully aroused by the wrongness of it all. Sage began pumping Ryo's cock quickly. He crooked his finger inside the Ronin leader and found that elusive spot that would make the pain become pleasure. Ryo whimpered, sinking down in the seat, but Sage followed him down, allowing no escape from the sensations that were becoming too much.  
  
Ryo rolled his hips, impaling himself deeper. He glimpsed the flash of satisfaction on Sage's face above him, but he didn't care. "Sage!"  
  
Sage kissed him hard. When he lifted his head, Ryo felt bruised. "Tell me what you want, Ryo, and I'll give it to you."  
  
Ryo looked up at him, hating to admit it, but knowing it was true: Sage was in charge of his pleasure and Ryo wanted it that way. "Make me come," he whispered, aroused by the sound of his own tremulous voice. "Please, Sage, let me come."  
  
Sage growled something indistinguishable and abruptly replaced his hand on Ryo's cock with his mouth. Ryo screamed as Sage sucked him viciously, adding another finger to pump into Ryo's tight opening. Ryo's orgasm erupted out of him like a volcano and still Sage sucked him, milking every last drop until the swipe of a delicate tongue became almost painful.  
  
Ryo looked up at the blonde dazedly as Sage sat back in his seat. If someone were to open Ryo's door right now, he'd spill onto the ground. He watched Sage delicately lick his lips of glistening liquid. Ryo moaned softly.  
  
"Do you still want to go to dinner?" Sage asked quietly.  
  
Slumped like a drunk in the passenger seat, Ryo laughed weakly. "You must be joking."  
  
Sage nodded. "Get out of the car."  
  
Ryo blinked at him dazedly. "What?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
A current of something electrical winnowed down Ryo's spine. "Sage?"  
  
"Get out of the car and go to my room," Sage told him, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and tapping one into his hand. "Take off your clothes and stand before the bed. Wait for me."  
  
Ryo laughed nervously. "But, Sage --"  
  
"Do it!"  
  
Ryo fumbled with the fastenings on his slacks, hastily closing them back up. Throwing a nervous glance at the blonde Warrior, he let himself out of the car and went back into the house. *Why am I following his orders like some slave?* he asked himself as he waved off the other Ronins who looked at him questioningly. He went upstairs and paused before Sage's bedroom. *This isn't really what I want, is it?*  
  
"Why are you waiting?"  
  
Ryo nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't expected Sage to follow him up so quickly.   
  
Sage watched him steadily from the top of the stairs. "Are you waiting for something, Ryo?" Sage wasn't supposed to be smoking in the house but there he was about to light up the cigarette he held.  
  
"You shouldn't be smok--"  
  
"Are you waiting because you want me to take your clothes off for you?"  
  
Ryo's eyes widened at the bolt of lust that shot through him. "No, I --"  
  
Sage took a step closer and Ryo hated himself for taking a step back in response. "Do you want me to rip your clothes off, Ryo? Is that what you want? You want me to tear off your sweater and yank down your pants, is that it?"  
  
"Oh, shit," Ryo whispered, pressing his forehead against the bedroom door. "Stop, Sage."  
  
The blonde was behind him now, bracing himself with hands on either side of the other boy. "Am I turning you on, little Wildfire?" Sage's voice was a husky rasp. "Because you look a little flushed right now."  
  
"I don't . . . understand any of this," Ryo admitted faintly. "Why does this make me feel this way? I hated what they did to me. I hated it!"  
  
Sage's warm breath stirred his hair. "This isn't the same as what they did to you, Wildfire. This isn't about humiliation. It's about pleasure from someone you trust, someone who won't hurt you more than you want them to." Sage crowded against him, forcing him against the door, letting Ryo feel the erection that tightened Sage's slacks. "I want you to come undone for me, Ryo. I want you to lose yourself in the feelings I give you." Sage licked the curve of his ear. "I want you to fly for me, Wildfire."  
  
Ryo shuddered at the words, his body so hard he hurt. He pushed himself back into Sage's body, grinding his buttocks against the hardness of the other boy's erection. "Then do it. Touch me." He swallowed thickly. "Make me."  
  
Sage groaned, thrusting against Ryo once. "That's my little Wildfire," he whispered in a roughened voice. "Let me give you what you need."  
  
The door burst inwards when Sage turned the handle, spilling them both inside the bedroom. The light was off and Sage didn't bother to turn it on, guiding them by memory to the bed. When the mattress hit the back of Ryo's legs, he expected to be pushed back onto it, but Sage kept him upright. Sage disentangled Ryo's arms from around his neck and spun the dark-haired boy around. Confused, Ryo obligingly raised his arms when Sage pulled his sweater up. But instead of stripping the garment completely off, as soon as it cleared Ryo's head, Sage pulled it down and back, trapping Ryo's arms behind him.  
  
"I don't want you to be able to do a thing," Sage told him in a low whisper against his ear.  
  
Ryo shuddered and tried to pull his arms free. They were trapped in the cloth, effectively trapping him. He was both scared and relieved. Scared, because he'd been bound this way before against his will. Relieved, because if his twisted mind somehow decided it liked Sage's treatment of him, Ryo could always use the excuse that he'd had no choice.   
  
Clever hands swiftly unfastened his slacks. Sage stripped them down Ryo's legs with a force that made his erection bob with excitement or fear, Ryo didn't know which. He was having trouble breathing; Sage's quiet single-mindedness stole the breath from his lungs.  
  
"Sage --"  
  
"If you beg, I'll spank you," Sage murmured against his ear.  
  
Ryo moaned, nearly coming right then.  
  
"Or is that what you want?" Sage continued, squeezing a tight buttock. "You have been a naughty boy, Wildfire, playing around with Rowan like that. Do you need to be punished? Do you need to feel my palm on that sweet little ass of yours?"  
  
Ryo yanked at his bindings and pushed back into Sage's hand. "Sage, please . . ."  
  
"That sounded like begging, Ryo. I think you do need to be punished."  
  
Sage dropped to the edge of the bed and pulled Ryo down across his lap. Now that he found himself head down over the other boy's lap, Ryo burned with the humiliation of his position. He struggled, but a cool hand pressed down on the back of his neck, holding him in position.  
  
"You know you want this," Sage murmured. "Stop struggling."  
  
Face burning, Ryo slumped against the other boy because he knew Sage was right. When the first slap came down across his buttock, he bucked, not in fright, but in pain and a surprised spike of pleasure. He moaned as Sage spanked him again.  
  
"Such a bad boy, Ryo. Only bad boys like being spanked. Do you like this?"  
  
Ryo moaned and shut his eyes, letting his head drop so his hair brushed the carpet. He did like this. He couldn't believe it. Sage spanked him on his other cheek so hard Ryo cried out, but it felt good.   
  
"You should see what you look like, Ryo," Sage said in a hoarse voice as he massaged the other boy's flaming skin. "Your plump little ass is so pink right now. I want to drive myself into you and feel that hot skin against my balls."  
  
Ryo shuddered. "Do it, Sage. Let me feel you," he gasped.  
  
"Tell me how you want it," Sage whispered. When Ryo hesitated, Sage brought his hand down hard. After Ryo had regained his breath, Sage tried again. "Tell me how you want me to fuck you, Ryo."  
  
Ryo sobbed, his cock aching where it pressed against Sage's thigh. He couldn't believe how turned-on he was by all of this. This should be wrong, but it didn't feel wrong. It felt good. So good.  
  
"I want -- I want you to fuck me hard," Ryo stammered. He couldn't help spreading his legs as he began to imagine Sage inside him. "I want you to drive into me so deep that I can't push you out."  
  
Sage groaned, the bulge in his pants pushing up against Ryo's stomach. "When I'm through with you, little Wildfire, you won't be able to walk straight for a week."  
  
"Yes," Ryo moaned, tears of need and relief gathering in his eyes.  
  
Sage pulled him up and Ryo found himself flipped onto his back onto Sage's bed. He hissed at the sting of the comforter against his sensitive buttocks. But it was a pain he welcomed, just as he welcomed the rough drag of Sage's slacks over his swollen cock. Sage's weight crushed him into the mattress and for a second, Ryo experienced a moment's fear as he was reminded of other bodies pressing down on him. But then he looked up and found heated lavender eyes watching him.  
  
"It's only me," Sage murmured, reading his fear. "You can trust me, remember, Ryo?" He bit at Ryo's jaw, teeth scraping across the skin. "Relax and let me push your limits. Let me take you away."  
  
"Take me away," Ryo echoed, closing his eyes.  
  
Sage began to devour him then, biting his way down the chords of Ryo's throat. He bit down on Ryo's collarbone hard enough to mark him and Ryo groaned at the primal act. Sage worked his way down Ryo's body, finding the last of the fading marks from the attack and covering them with his own.   
  
"You're mine now," Sage told him, a rare savagery in his voice as he sucked a bruise over Ryo's hipbone. "When you look in the mirror from now on, you're going to remember me and only me."  
  
Ryo raised his head as Sage moved between his legs. The blonde head was bent over his weeping erection and Ryo practically sobbed with his need.  
  
"Please, Sage," he gasped. "Put your mouth on me."  
  
Lavender eyes narrowed as they flicked up to him. "Don't tell me what to do, little Wildfire." He smirked at Ryo's pained expression. "I was going to suck on you long and hard, run my tongue up the length of you. But now --" A slender finger swirled across the tip of Ryo's cock, making the dark-haired Ronin throw his head back and try to push his hips up. Sage held his hips down. "Now, I think I won't."  
  
Ryo clenched his hands in the sweater that bound him as Sage pushed his legs apart. Sage's finger continued to tease the tip of him and then disappeared. Ryo arched as the finger suddenly slid into his body, eased by the slickness of his own essence.  
  
Ryo felt himself constrict around Sage's finger, trying to pull him deeper. When Sage pushed a second finger inside and began to thrust, Ryo moaned and threw his legs wider. Sage crawled up Ryo's body, his fingers still pumping into the tight channel.  
  
"How does that feel, Ryo?"  
  
"It -- nnnh!"  
  
Sage smirked. "If you can't even form a word, maybe I should stop you from speaking altogether."  
  
Ryo's eyes widened as Sage's palm covered his mouth, pressing his head into the pillow. His cock surged with desire. Oh, God, he was bound, gagged by Sage's hand while Sage fucked him with the other -- Ryo thought he would explode with the wickedness of it all.  
  
"Come for me," Sage panted, watching him with bright lavender eyes. "Give me something to rub on my cock so I can fuck you."  
  
Ryo moaned helplessly, his eyes rolling up into his head as his body spasmed. Ribbons of glistening liquid shot from his body as he thrashed. He shuddered with residual pleasure as Sage withdrew his fingers and scooped up the slick liquid that had pooled on his skin.  
  
"Good boy," Sage whispered, withdrawing his hand from Ryo's mouth.  
  
Ryo licked his lips, tasting the other boy as he watched Sage unzip his slacks and pull out his erection. Sage was swollen and heavy. Ryo eyed him hungrily as the blonde Ronin rubbed Ryo's essence over his straining flesh.  
  
"You were so good, I may have to reward you," Sage said in a rough voice. He pulled Ryo upright and turned him around so that he sat on his heels with Sage behind him on the bed.  
  
Sage curled an arm around Ryo's waist and pulled him back, guiding his legs to either side of Sage so that he sat in the blonde's lap. Ryo closed his eyes, memories flashing through his head.   
  
"You're trembling," Sage whispered against his cheek. "Did they take you this way, Ryo?"  
  
Ryo nodded, clenching his teeth.  
  
Sage caressed the other boy's tight jaw. He eased Ryo back until the tip of his cock pressed against the pink bud of Ryo's opening. "You're going to do something for me, Ryo. You're going to tell me everything that they did to you --"  
  
Ryo's eyes shot open in horror. "No!"  
  
Sage thrust his hips up, shoving the head of his cock past the tight ring of muscle. Ryo grit his teeth, back arching against the invasion. Sage didn't push into him further and after a moment, Ryo relaxed enough to realized that Sage was gently stroking his face.  
  
"Shhh, little Wildfire. It'll be alright." Sage's crooning eased Ryo and as he relaxed, the thick shaft impaling his body pushed in a little deeper. "I want you to tell me what they did to you so that I can replace their touch with mine. Do you want that?"  
  
Ryo nodded, sobbing as his own bodyweight forced the rest of Sage's cock into his body. When he was fully seated on Sage's lap, his body trembled, his inner muscles clenching and unclenching about the swollen invader.  
  
"Oh, God," Ryo panted, suddenly grateful that he had taken all of Sage into his body. The heat and steel of the other boy felt inexplicably clean within him, as though it were burning away those who had come before. "Sage, you feel so good. It's not the same."  
  
"It's not supposed to be," Sage replied in a strained voice. "It's meant to be better. Now tell me: how did they touch you?"  
  
Ryo shook his head, not wanting to talk about it, but knowing Sage wouldn't relent. "While Dais was behind me, Cale -- Cale was in front." The dirtiness of what they had made him do made him suddenly angry. "They made me -- made me open my mouth and -- and --"  
  
Sage's fingers were suddenly on his lips, pushing between his teeth. Ryo tried to turn his head, but Sage cupped his jaw with his palm and held him still. Ryo didn't want this but Sage wouldn't release him.   
  
"Open up," Sage demanded. When Ryo showed no signs of giving in, Sage jabbed his hips up, driving himself deeper.  
  
Ryo gasped and Sage slipped his fingers in. Ryo wouldn't bite him. All he could do was close his lips around the two fingers that rubbed across his tongue.  
  
"Suck on me, Ryo. It's me, not them. When you think about being taken two ways, I want you to remember only this, taking me."  
  
Ryo closed his eyes and tried to do as Sage said. He sucked on the fingers in his mouth, trying not to remember something larger filling his throat. Then, Sage began to rock beneath him, his cock sliding in and out of Ryo's body. Ryo moaned, his hips lifting to help. Sage pumped faster, slamming forcefully into him. Ryo's breath came out in breathy moans around Sage's fingers. Sage suddenly took hold of Ryo's erection and stroked it in time with his thrusts.  
  
Ryo gave a muffled cry as pleasure flashed across every nerve ending in his body. He sucked voraciously on the fingers in his mouth, his arms twisting in the sweater behind his back. He felt opened, vulnerable, every orifice in his body filled by Sage, every pleasure spot taken over by the blonde. It wasn't dirty or shameful, it was intense and so erotic that Ryo flew swiftly towards his climax.  
  
Sage bit at the side of his neck, his breath hot against Ryo's throat. "I'm going to make you come over and over again until you beg me to stop," Sage promised, panting. "I'm going to fill you up so many times that you won't remember a time when I wasn't inside you."  
  
Ryo groaned, his body shuddering.  
  
"Open wide for me," Sage whispered. "Take me into you."  
  
Ryo slammed himself hard atop Sage, pushing the stiff shaft as deep as it would go inside him. All at once, his body quaked with his release. Ryo flung his head back against Sage's shoulder, crying out as he erupted within the blonde's hand. Sage groaned and thrust upwards one final time. Heat flooded Ryo's body. It burned.  
  
Sage collapsed to the side, bringing Ryo with him. Ryo sobbed into the pillow, exhausted and wrung out. Slender fingers stroked his wet cheeks and a warm arm curled protectively around his stomach to drag him back into the comfort of Sage's body.  
  
"We'll get through everything," Sage murmured, placing a soft kiss against Ryo's temple. "There's nothing wrong with you and I'll prove it to you."  
  
Ryo turned over to face the other boy. "You really believe that," he whispered.  
  
Sage kissed him, a kiss unlike those he had given before. Gentle. "You'll be alright, Ryo. You're with me now."  
  
It was a good place to be.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
I have two slash/yaoi websites: Dark Realm of Yaoi -- http://lureofthering.com/darkrealm/darkrealm.htm -- for multi-fandom fiction (although it's a new site and only has this one story posted) and also JuxtaposeFantasy -- http://juxtaposefantasy.com -- my pride and joy. Come visit me! 


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